Chapter 393: A Resonating Jewel

Leu, a white-haired girl. The abominable demonic being Agathos, who had borrowed her body, stepped into the room with small footsteps. The sound of her footsteps sounded different from anything a human could make.

Judging from the bitter expressions visible in Filaret and Eldith’s faces behind her, it seemed that Agathos came here with her own will.

It didn’t taste good. Something cold touched the back of my ears. My heart thumped at once.

Well, I didn’t tell the old man or the Gharast soldiers that I had brought in a demon’s egg. At least, I didn’t have any intention of getting them involved in this.

If they had been warned about this, my head would’ve been cut off on the spot.

I wanted that demonic being to stay asleep for a while, or for Leu to wake up. Everything could turn for the worst if her true identity were to be revealed here.

What should I do? With no way to prevent it, a voice tangled in my earlobes.

「What’s wrong? You all look like kittens hit by the wind. I guess you want to kill me. But I think you want to win by the end of the day. To win against that Controller.」

The soldiers’ mouths were wide open. Seeing the girl undaunted by the old man Richard’s gaze, those around me were astonished for a while. What the heck was this kid? The silence explained the confusion more eloquently than any words.

Filaret took the lead and made a small movement with her lips. Her voice was strangely smooth, even though she had forced herself to speak.

「She…mentioned the Controller. I think she’s just an informant. I brought her here because I thought she had some meaningful things to say.」

For a moment I noticed that her dark eyes were looking in this direction. There was a hint of impatience hidden within that blackness.

I knew how she felt without hearing what she had to say.

Filaret, who was often calm, looked so anxious. Something troublesome must had happened to her that she didn’t want to talk about. It was probably a lie that she brought her here.

For some reason, Agathos was trying to befriend humans. Although I understood that she was in conflict with the Controller Drigman, I never imagined that she would end up lending her power to humans.

In the first place, demonic beings did not choose humans as negotiation partners. Much less a magical devilish being known as the jewel of unbridled cruelty.

A change in state of mind. It was a truly human quality. Demonic beings usually didn’t change their minds. Even if they were to change at some point, it would be extremely rare. I often heard that demonic beings were one-sided creatures and humans were multi-faceted creatures.

Why did she, who could be said to be a pure demon even in this unlikely nature, change her state of mind from when she used to be? My palms felt a slightly dampness.

I opened my mouth to try to take over Filaret’s words. However, the old man, tracing his beard with his fingers, spoke first.

A bad feeling crawled around my throat.

「…I saw something similar a long time ago. Are you confused, young lady? Lugis, what did you bring here?」

His eyes, which didn’t hide the years of his life, pierced my eyes with a strong will.

I didn’t like it. Oh, I hated it. Of course, I didn’t think I could hide everything from this old man. I wanted him to be a little more reserved.

Why not look at our efforts instead? It was like the old man didn’t have enough compassion. Of course, I had known this for a long time.

I shrugged my shoulders and answered as bows and arrows were staring at me from all sides. I took a step closer to Agathos.

「She’s half human, as the other half is demon-like. She seems to know a lot about demonic beings. For example, leave the blacksmithing to the blacksmiths. In other words, if we’re going to research about that particular demonic being, then we need someone reliable and she’s probably the best bet. Shouldn’t we hear from her?」

I pretended it was nothing. I did the best I could at omitting the facts. If I showed any strange agitation, the old man would definitely become even more suspicious.

If so, then I should talk about it in a dignified manner, even if I had to deceive them. At least enough to fool myself too. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be fooled.

The old man opened his mouth with his strong eyes flickering.

「She’s a half-demon, Lugis? Do you understand the weight of your words? 」

「She’s half-human too, just like us, old man. 」

I met his gaze while opening my lips. The old man’s wrinkles deepened, and his beard wavered as his gaze fell on Agathos.

I knew there would be a backlash. There was no way generals, or even ordinary humans, would agree to hear what a demonic being had to say.

I could see that their confusion and doubts were becoming stronger as time went on. It helped in a way that the old man didn’t look oddly erratic, but his expression wasn’t exactly pleasant.

When Agathos saw this, her white hair swayed, and she said with a laughter.

「Oh gosh, humans are really sluggish. Even though you carry a fragment of intelligence, you’re unable to use it. I’m saying that I’ll give you wisdom, so you should just accept it gratefully. If you want to eat, then just climb a tree, and eat an apple.」

This jewel was a genius at touching people’s nerves. I really wanted her to stop.

During the old journey, I didn’t have many opportunities to hear those words, so all I could think of was that they were the embodiment of arrogance. I didn’t expect her to be the type of being who could talk her tongue around as she pleased. I could see the image of a melancholy, beautiful woman inside my head quietly slipping away.

「…I can’t seem to get a fragment of intelligence or character from your words. But that’s fine, since I’m a person who uses whatever I can. I’ll listen to what you have to say. It’s like hearing the words of a fortune teller at a tavern.」

The old man approved. That was a very good thing. Agathos said with a satisfied nod. Apparently, she was someone who didn’t care about small words. Or was it that human words didn’t really touch her heart?

The Gharast soldiers still looked at her with suspicion, but they nodded their heads once they heard the old man’s response. They weren’t the kind of people who would want to trample on that old man’s words.

For a moment, I let out a sigh of relief. The blue eyes were staring at me as if they were planning something.

Agathos’ lips waved without a moment’s delay.

「Okay. I’ll tell you. He’s a controller no matter where he goes. Do you know why some demonic beings have stage names? It’s to cut off their other functions. The magical devilish beings, I mean. It refers to someone who is cast aside from the world in exchange for becoming that someone.」

That’s why he is always bound to the role of Controller. He seems to be the strongest when he’s leading the demonic beings. He’s weaker than any other demonic being when he doesn’t lead. That’s the key if you want to kill him.

Agathos said those words without hesitation. I was sure no one knew that fact even back then. Words filled with real feelings had a strange truth and weight to them. It was so hard to believe that it came from just one girl.

After uttering those words, Agathos finished speaking.

「…Well, that’s how it is. In the end, that woman shot him down. He’s so ridiculous. 」

The words that leaked at the end could be called pathos or sentimentality. There was so much emotion that I couldn’t believe she was a demonic being. No, it was probably nothing even if I felt otherwise.

For a while after she finished speaking, no one, including me, dared to speak. I felt like I was desperately trying to swallow the words that were coming through my ears.

Only Eldith spoke. Her long ears bounced and even showed hostility towards Agathos.

「Isn’t the Controller Drigman one of your compatriots? How can you put a price tag on his head so easily?」

A genuine question came out of her mouth. As if the others were feeling it too, their eyes suddenly fell on Agathos’ silhouette.

For a moment, Agathos looked as if she didn’t understand what she was being asked, then answered.

「We’re compatriots, that’s true. But I don’t have the sense to think of them as enemies or allies. That’s unique to humans and elves. I live for my own purpose, and he does the same. Even humans and elves fight their own kin from time to time.」

Agathos answered without being sarcastic, as if she was being asked something that she really didn’t understand. Then she added the last words.

「And he tried to kill this child…he tried to kill me. The only retribution for murderous intent is an equal murderous intent.」

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